Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 12 Part 1

Episode Title: The Giant's Belt
Air Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

In this evocative, tension-filled session, the Critical Role group, led by Brennan Lee Mulligan as DM, returns to the fractured world of Ahriman. Flashbacks and present-day intrigue intertwine: an emotional family prelude sets the stage before the party enters the mountainous metropolis of Riesengürtel, seat of the ancient House Einfausen. Here, secrets, strange alliances, and threats from both the living and the supernatural gather around the party as they investigate the fate of a missing supply caravan and navigate dangers from powerful houses and demon-hosting clerics. The episode is thick with atmosphere, creative problem-solving, and memorable character moments.

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [03:45] Opening Flashback: Family at the rookery
• [24:58] Present-Day Recap and Entry into Riesengürtel
• [36:30] Encounter at the City Gates
• [42:16] Securing Shelter for the Night
• [53:00] At the Kapelgarten: Feasting, Eavesdropping, and Danger
• [59:45-62:00] Scrutiny by House Hailuvar and their disguised "Lux"
• [78:02] Powers Unveiled: Demon Horns & Dark Pacts
• [83:37] Strategic Deliberations at the Hostel
• [90:13] The Investigation of the Courtyard Carriages
• [124:32] The Group Reunites: Intel and Final Plans
• [130:26] Cliffhanger & Break for Part 2

Detailed Breakdown

Prologue: Family Bonds & Portents ([03:45]-[22:09])

• The episode opens with a flashback to Dolmakyard, 18 years prior. Hal und Dielfang quietly paces, cradling his infant daughter, Hero, while the house sleeps.
• His brother, Thiazi, arrives unexpectedly, exhausted and distraught, bearing grave news from afar: Mara Weaver has been arrested, the Druidic Council has been disbanded, and the world is in turmoil.
• An emotional exchange unfolds about duty, the cost of war, and the meaning of family.
  • Notable quote:
    "I watched you choke on blood and mud in the fields when we were boys. And you're not a boy anymore." — Hal ([16:03])
  • Thiazi, torn between family and the call to fight injustice, pledges to return, with the haunting parting line:
    "A life is a very special thing. I don't know what I have or if it can be said to be a life. Maybe I just have a story. But this is beautiful. And I will see it again." ([20:48])

This segment establishes the Fang family legacy and sets up themes of loss, legacy, and unresolved obligations.

Recap & Present: The Seekers’ Journey Begins ([24:58]-[36:05])

• Brennan recaps major recent plot beats:
  • The fallout from Thiazi Fang’s execution
  • The theft of the Stone of Nightsong
  • A swirl of familial and supernatural vendettas involving House Taconis, Hailuvars, and spectral powers beyond the mortal realm.
  • Octys’ recent brush with death and reconstitution.
• The party aims to investigate the fate of Royce and Divinos supplies stopped at Riesengürtel.

Arrival at Riesengürtel & Navigating the Gates ([36:30]-[42:24])

• The party approaches Riesengürtel, city of the "Giant's Belt"—a breathtaking metropolis built across a mountain shelf, home to House Einfausen, rumored descendants of giants.
• There’s strategic discussion about aliases and keeping a low profile.
  • "Some of us live dignified lives and don't have to lie like they breathe." — Tycha, gently ribbing her companions ([40:26])
• Tycha, leveraging her reputation, leads the group through the guarded gates by flaunting her druidic ties. The party avoids suspicion, but tension simmers beneath.

Seeking Shelter & Subtle Exposition ([42:16]-[53:00])

• The party secures beds at the Shepherd’s Shelter, a multi-story, minimalist hostel. Banter ensues about sleeping arrangements and the practicalities of (un)death—Octys discovers, with macabre humor, that food no longer nourishes him and complicates his continued masquerade as "alive."
  • "I'm going to be facing away from you and I'm going to be doing something. I need you not to look at what I'm doing. But I do like the music and it is helpful." — Octys, about sewing up his corpse-body ([108:27])

The Kapelgarten: Festival, Suspicion & an Eerie Encounter ([53:00]-[77:32])

• The Seekers go to the Kapelgarten, a lively food hall where locals and travelers alike feast communally, paying only for drink. Food is abundant, the atmosphere hearty, but the group remains alert.
• Tensions heighten as a detachment of Hailuvar soldiers and a mysterious young "Lux" (priestess) enter the tavern.
  • Tycha and the group deftly converse with the Lux, who exposits about the "filament"—a form of holy light, literally tattooed onto the Hailuvar elite.
  • "Filament is a sacrament of the clandestine creed. It is the light made manifest through the glory of House Hailuvar." — Lux Tamara ([73:58])
• The Lux produces a flask of glowing filament, prompting curiosity and subtle alarm. The party realizes the Lux is concealing more than she reveals; her religious platitudes are oddly performative and possibly coded.
• As the Lux departs, Julian takes the opportunity to shadow her carriage and spies, in silhouette, a transformation: "Two enormous horns extend from her head in silhouette in the back of the carriage..." ([78:09])

Scatter and Reconvene: Stealth, Encounters, and Octys' Uneasy Decay ([78:46]-[90:07])

• The party splits up to gather intel and check on their horses. Octys, trying to maintain the ruse of being "alive," is forced to empty undigested food from his own body, discovering to his relief (but also horror) that healing magic only returns his corpse to the state it was in when reanimated, not to actual "living" health.
  • "I now know that I can be healed, but only to the exact point where I died. So this stays this way. But the damage I did to myself just now you fixed, which is great." — Octys ([88:20])
• Julian and Vaelys stealthily patrol the city, seeking the missing caravans and following up on eerie leads. Tycha, wild-shaped as a shadowy snake, gathers more intelligence on the demonic conspirators.

The Carriages in the Einfausen Courtyard ([90:13]-[107:15])

• Julian and Vaelys discover the supply carriages, horses missing, untouched supplies, and no guards—a major red flag. The arrival of a new carriage triggers a giant-heritage Einfausen knight’s violent response, revealing razor-thin tolerance for the supernatural.
  • "There is no orange. It's green. Red. … The lack of a better word, stereotype you would have about the Einfausen is that they are the most polite house, right up until the moment they knock your brains onto the floor with a massive hammer." — Brennan, on Einfausen ([106:51])
• Conclusions: Einfausen house is on edge, possibly manipulated, and not simple allies or enemies.

Piecing the Puzzle: Deductions & Paranoia ([107:18]-[127:20])

• The party returns to the Shepherd’s Shelter to compare notes. Erinessa leads a strategic breakdown, suspecting House Einfausen either of complicity with House Taconis or being played.
  • "What do you make of that? Let's play a game. House Einfausen has conspired with House Taconis to slaughter and destroy us. What would you do?" — Erinessa ([116:36])
• They speculate on the fate of the missing people tied to the carriages—killed, sickened, or detained under false pretenses.
• Tycha, through Hala and wild-shape, relays that demon-aspirant watchers viewed her and Vaelys as high-profile Hailuvar elites—putting the group in further danger.

Preparation and Decision ([127:20]-[130:26], End of Part 1)

• Facing impossible choices, Erinessa debates openly revealing her royal/house ties to Einfausen in hopes of learning the truth, while others hedge toward subterfuge and proxy negotiation.
  • "If you were me, would you risk revealing that you survived a slaughter here in Reasongotel? Or would you use the cover of us, not yet, to our knowledge, having been discovered, and continue on?" — Erinessa ([127:20])
• The party agrees: tomorrow, they pursue a plan involving disguise, possible direct questions to Einfausen, and an eastward escape route if things go wrong.
• Cliffhanger: "And if things go awry, we make for the east for Castle Torch as fast as we can." — Erinessa ([130:24])

Notable Quotes

• "A life is a very special thing. I don't know what I have or if it can be said to be a life. Maybe I just have a story. But this is beautiful. And I will see it again." — Thiazi ([20:48])
• "Some of us live dignified lives and don't have to lie like they breathe." — Tycha ([40:26])
• "I now know that I can be healed, but only to the exact point where I died. So this stays this way." — Octys ([88:20])
• "There is no orange. It's green. Red." — Brennan, on House Einfausen's temperament ([106:51])
• "Paranoia keeps us alive." — Julian ([119:01])

Memorable Moments

• Octys grappling with his undead state, both physically (scooping up his own entrails) and philosophically ("20 forever. If only." [50:30])
• The "Lux" priestess revealing her true demonic horns once safely in her carriage.
• The communal nature of Riesengürtel’s Kapelgarten contrasted with the party's secretive anxiety.
• The use of druidic wild-shape for espionage and magical communication.
• The party’s ongoing struggle balancing caution, the need for answers, and concern for their noncombatant allies.

Episode Tone

The session balances gothic intrigue, black comedy, and high fantasy stakes. Brennan’s world-building is lush and layered, the player banter blends gallows humor with real pathos, and each investigation steeps the party deeper in a web of overlapping supernatural, political, and personal hazards.

For Listeners New to the Episode

This episode expertly melds fantasy politics, horror undertones, and family drama. It's a fulcrum episode: promising revelations and sharper risk ahead. Prepare for demonic conspiracies, undead quandaries, and the awesome, terrifying power of the Giant’s Belt!

To Be Continued in Part 2...